By Lillia Whittington
Happy National Serger month! Today, I am sharing with you one of the easiest ways to use your serger to upcycle a sweater. In today’s tutorial, I will be replacing some, very well loved, cuffs and collar from my vintage collegiate sweatshirt. This tutorial is going to walk you through how to remove the cuffs and collar, cut new pieces, and then serge and replace your new cuffs and collar to your sweater. Using the standard overlocking stitch, you’ll be able to have replacements in no time!
Here’s what you’ll need:
- Hoodie or sweater you’re replacing your cuffs/collars
- Jersey knit in similar stretch
- Seam ripper
- Pins
- Four serger cones, I like to use these.
- Chalk
- Scissors
- AirThread 2000D
Prepping your hoodie
To start, take a look and determine which cuffs need to be removed. In my case, it was obviously all of them. Taking your seam ripper, locate the top of the serger seam. This is the side with the two parallel lines. Start by picking the middle thread out and then removing the bottom thread. This way, the looper threads will just unloop in one swoop!
Cut your new pieces and serge
Now that your cuffs and collar have been removed, you can use these pieces as your pattern pieces for your new cuffs. Ideally, your replacement knit would have the same or similar stretch ration. You will also want to make sure you cut your pieces along the stretch. This will ensure that the neckline and cuff fits when it sews back in. Fun fact, the cuff and collar are actually smaller than the circumference of the cuff and neckhole on the hoodie, and the stretch helps lay the collar flat!
To form your cuffs, fold the short sides together, right sides together, and serge. Repeat for your collar. After, fold the wrong sides together, so you have a tube and press. Set to the side and prepare to insert into the cuff and collar of the hoodie.
Serge new pieces into hoodie
Serging your new pieces to your current piece is easy! The trick is to section it into four sections. By pinning “four corners”, you’re able to work in sections. When you work in sections, this makes your serging much easier with tight areas like cuffs. As you serge, stretch gently between each section to ensure the new cuff fits nicely into the cuff of the hoodie. This is why it’s also important to cut the cuff on the stretchiest part of the knit. Repeat the process for the collar. You may need to add a few more pins, which is absolutely okay.
Once everything is serged into your sweater, give it a good press and steam the knit to allow it to relax back to its original size. Enjoy your fresh cuffs and collars! This technique also works for t-shirts, jersey jogger cuffs, and waistbands on hoodies as well. It’s the perfect way to add a pop of color to your hoodies too! As always, happy sewing besties!
